Combined closure lock and handle for cans



Nov. 7, 1939. I G. E. BULLOCK. 2,178,863

COMBINED CLOSURE LOCK AND HANDLE FOR CANS Filed April 20, 1936 INVENTOR sue-s 550mm Patented Nov. 7, 1939 UNETED STA'iEd- Giles E. Bullock, Rochester, N. Y.

Application April 20,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to sheet metal cans havmg large filling openings and has for its object to provide such cans with a removable closure member including locking and sealing means with a combined carrying handle for the can and operating lever for the locking and sealing means.

Another object of this invention is to so construct the locking and sealing means of the closure member that the combined operating and carrying handle automatically locks and seals the can when the can is lifted and carried thereby.

These and other objects and attendant ad vantages will become more readily apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a can provided with the combined closure and carrying member.

Figure 2 is a partial side elevation and vertical sectional view of a can provided with the closure member and combined locking and carrying member embodied thereon.

Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional View of a portion of the can illustrating the operation of the closure member and the locking and carrying means provided thereon.

In the several figures of the drawing like reference numerals indicate like parts.

The combined closure and carrying member, forming the subject matter of our present invention, is adapted for use with metal cans having a large open head such as milk cans and other cans used for handling liquids.

The can I, illustrated in the figures of the drawing, is formed up of sheet metal with its open end of reduced diameter and the open head 2 attached to the open end. The head 2 comprises a substantially cylindrical flange with a circular flange 3 turned in at the bottom for ato tachment to the open end of the body of the can,

and a pair of substantially semi-circular inclined locking flanges turned in at the top. The open end of the body of the can is spun or folded over the circular flange 3 of the head and is suitably fastened and sealed thereto provide a circular seat 5 around the open end of the can. The closure member 6 is adapted to center itself in the open head and rest on the seat 5. For this purpose the closure member is cup shaped with an outwardly flaring horizontal flange I provided at the top thereof. A compressible gasket 8 surrounds the closure member and is located on the under side of the flange 1 thereof to seal the closure member to the seat when forced down onto it to compress the gasket.

1936, Serial No. 75,330

The closure member is locked to the seat to seal the opening in the head by means of the bale shaped handle 5 which carries the cam members 50;! at the ends thereof. These cam members are each provided with a pivot stud I! which 5 engage and are pivoted in bearings provided in the lugs HA2. The lugs i2 are carried by the closure member 5 and thus serve as the supports for the bale shaped handle 9 to swing thereon and operate the cam members HQ.

Each of the cam members Milt! comprises a short substantially cylindrical member which has part of its periphery cut away to provide a flat section 5 3 thereon. The width of each cam member is thus reduced at right angles to the flat section thereof in order to permit the reduced width of each cam to readily engage under the locking flanges 4,4 of the head 2-. The locking flanges are spaced at diametrically opposite points so as to permit the passage of the cam members between them when the closure member is inserted into the head 2 to rest on the seat surrounding the open end of the tank. The locking flanges are inclined downwardly from their ends so as to gradually decrease the space between them and the top of the closure member so that on the rotation of the closure member after resting on the seat 5 the cam members slide under the flanges to a point where the reduced width of the cam members equals the distance between the locking flanges Mi and the flange l of the closure member. In this position the cam members serve as looking bolts which look the closure member to the seat of the open head. In turning the closure member to wedge the cam members under the locking flanges the closure member however but slightly compresses the gasket t on the seat of the open head.

To hermetically seal the closure member from this preliminary locking and sealing position, the cam members are turned so as to move the flat portion thereof out of engagement with the looking flanges Mi of the head and cause the full width of the cam members to be wedged between the locking flanges of the head and the flange 4 of the closure member. This wedging of the full width of the cam members between the head and closure member causes the gasket 8 to be compressed on the seat of the open head and provides a tight seal around it.

The cam members are turned to provide this sealing effect by means of the handle 9 which is angularly positioned with relation to the reduced width of the cam so that when the handle is raised from an angular to a vertical position, the

' cams are turned from their inactive to their ac tive position in which they compress the gasket and provide the sealing effect. After the closure member is therefore locked in place by the preliminary engagement of the cam members under the locking flanges of the head, as above pointed out, the raising of the handle for lifting or carrying purposes of the can will operate to automatically seal the closure member to the can by compressing its gasket and keep it sealed until the handle is turned down into an angular position in which the cam members no longer compress the gasket of the closure member and permit the rotation of the closure member to a position in which the cam members are free to move up between the spaces of the locking flanges to permit the closure member to be raised from its seat out of the open head of the can.

I claim:

1. A can body having an open head, a cover for said open head, a handle mounted to swing on said cover, locking means carried by said handle and means provided on said head for variably engaging said locking means to lock said cover to said head on the raising of said lever in carrying said can.

2. A can body having an open head at the top thereof, a closure seat formed within said open head, a cam flange on said head, a cover for said open head adapted to rest on said closure seat and close said head, a handle mounted to swing on said cover and cam means carried by said handle and engaging between said cover and said cam flange on the rotation of said cover to force said cover onto said head and operated on the raising of the handle to additionally force said cover onto said seat by positioning the handle for carrying purposes.

3. A can body having an open head, a pair of locking flanges projecting inwardly of said head, a seat within said head surrounding the opening in the head, a cover for said head adapted to rest on said seat and close the opening of the head, a swinging handle, laterally projecting locking members adapted to project between said locking flanges and said cover on the rotation of said cover on said seat and cam means provided on said locking members and engaging said looking flanges for initially forcing said cover ontosaid seat and position said locking members in engagement with said locking flanges so as to provide a predetermined movement for said handle into its vertical position to additionally force said cover onto said seat and seal the opening in the head and keep it sealed while carrying the can by means of the handle.

4. A can body having an open head, a seat surrounding said open head, a compressible gasket on said seat, a cover for said head and adapted to rest on said compressible gasket, a

carrying handle for said can body mounted to swing on said cover, a cam flange projecting inwardly of said head above said cover, cam means carried by said carrying handle and engaging under said cam flange on the rotation of the cover by said handle and force said cover onto said head to provide a preliminary sealing effect between said cover and said compressible gasket and have said cam means engage said cam flange to provide a predetermined movement of the handle into a vertical position for the compression of said gasket by said cam means between said cover and said seat and at the same time position said handle for carrying purposes.

5. A can body having an open head, fixed cam means on said head, a swinging handle for carrying said can body, a removable cover for said open head, a swinging handle on said cover, looking cam means carried by said handle for variable engagement with said cam means on said head on the movement of said cover, said locking cam means being adapted to be operated for continued engagement with said cam means on said head by said handle in its movement to a substantially vertical carrying position on said can body.

6. A can body having an open head, a cover for said open head, fixed cam means on said head, a handle mounted to swing on said cover, cam means provided on said handle so as to engage the cam means on said head and engage said cover to force said cover onto said head on the rotation of said cover on said head and to additionally force said cover onto said head on the movement of said cam means by said handle on the raising of the handle into a carrying position for the can body.

'7. A can body having an open head, a cover for said head, a carrying handle for said can body mounted to swing on said cover, a cam flange projecting inwardly of said head above said cover, cam means carried by said carrying handle adapted to engage under said cam flange, said cam means engaging said cam flange to force said cover onto said head on the rotation of the cover by said handle, said cam means operating to additionally force said cover onto said head on the movement of the cam means by said handle when raising the handle to a carrying position for carrying the can body.

8. A can body having an open head, a cam flange on said head, a cover rotatable on said head, a swinging handle on said cover adapted to engage said cam flange on said head on the rotation of said cover to cause said cover to be seated on said head under pressure and means provided on said handle for engagement with said cam flange to additionally force said cover onto said head on the movement of said handle into a carrying position on said cover.

GILES E. BULLOCK. 

